Statistical Advance: Analyzing Darlington Raceway

There have been 109 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Darlington Raceway

A look at some of the top statistical performers at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina going into the Bojangles’ Southern 500 on May 11.

DARLINGTON-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

Greg Biffle (No. 16 Meguiars Ford)

Two wins, two top fives, five top 10s; two poles

Average finish of 14.0

Average Running Position of 9.8, third-best

Driver Rating of 110.5, second-best

Series-high 283 Fastest Laps Run

2,170 Laps in the Top 15 (73.7%), fourth-most

249 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), third-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Doublemint Toyota)

One win, two top fives, four top 10s

Average finish of 15.5

Average Running Position of 10.0, fourth-best

Driver Rating of 102.3, fifth-best

470 Green Flag Passes, third-most

Average Green Flag Speed of 159.837 mph, fifth-fastest

2,423 Laps in the Top 15 (82.3%), second-most

Series-high 323 Quality Passes

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National GuardChevrolet)

Three top fives, seven top 10s

Average finish of 15.3

Average Running Position of 12.6, ninth-best

Driver Rating of 90.4, 10th-best

485 Green Flag Passes, second-most

1,911 Laps in the Top 15 (64.9%), ninth-most

229 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Geek Squad Ford)

Three top fives, six top 10s

Average finish of 13.1

Average Running Position of 12.8, 10th-best

Driver Rating of 93.9, ninth-best

149 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most

418 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most

Average Green Flag Speed of 159.490 mph, eighth-fastest

2,000 Laps in the Top 15 (68.0%), seventh-most

249 Quality Passes, third-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Cromax Pro Chevrolet)

Seven wins, 18 top fives, 21 top 10s; three poles

Average finish of 11.8

Series-best Average Running Position of 8.3

Series-best Driver Rating of 111.8

180 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most

Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 160.041 mph

Series-high 2,615 Laps in the Top 15 (88.9%)

245 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota)

One win, three top fives, six top 10s

Average finish of 5.9

Average Running Position of 8.8, second-best

Driver Rating of 109.5, third-best

175 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most

Average Green Flag Speed of 159.896 mph, third-fastest

2,123 Laps in the Top 15 (82.5%), sixth-most

229 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Emerald Green Chevrolet)

Three wins, seven top fives, 10 top 10s

Average finish of 9.1

Average Running Position of 10.7, fifth-best

Driver Rating of 105.7, fourth-best

210 Fastest Laps Run, second-most

453 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most

Average Green Flag Speed of 159.918 mph, second-fastest

2,137 Laps in the Top 15 (72.6%), fifth-most

227 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet)

Three top fives, four top 10s; four poles

Average finish of 13.9

Average Running Position of 11.1, seventh-best

Driver Rating of 98.3, sixth-best

192 Fastest Laps Run, third-most

Average Green Flag Speed of 159.483 mph, ninth-fastest

1,985 Laps in the Top 15 (67.4%), eighth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Home Depot Husky Toyota)

One top five, eight top 10s; one pole

Average finish of 17.5

Driver Rating of 86.5, 12th-best

76 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most

431 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most

195 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford)

One top five, two top 10s

Average finish of 9.3

Driver Rating of 84.5, 13th-best

Ryan Newman (No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet)

Seven top fives, nine top 10s; one pole

Average finish of 12.4

Average Running Position of 11.0, sixth-best

Driver Rating of 97.6, seventh-best

Average Green Flag Speed of 159.652 mph, seventh-fastest

2,326 Laps in the Top 15 (79.0%), third-most

193 Quality Passes, 13th-most

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)

Four top fives, 11 top 10s

Average finish of 11.8

Average Running Position of 14.1, 11th-best

Driver Rating of 90.0, 11th-best

104 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most

Series-high 496 Green Flag Passes

Average Green Flag Speed of 159.420 mph, 10th-fastest

1,813 Laps in the Top 15 (61.6%), 10th-most

266 Quality Passes, second-most

Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota)

One top five, three top 10s

Average finish of 11.3

Average Running Position of 12.5, eighth-best

Driver Rating of 95.2, eighth-best

115 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most

437 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most

Average Green Flag Speed of 159.673 mph, sixth-fastest

215 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Chase Contenders

The Top 12

Following Race 10 of 36

Rank Season

Last Driver

Driver Points Wins Poles Week Rating

1. Jimmie Johnson 383 2 1 1 114.3

2. Carl Edwards 342 1 0 2 92.6

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 324 0 0 4 95.0

4. Clint Bowyer 316 0 0 5 95.0

5. Brad Keselowski 314 0 0 6 94.5

6. Kasey Kahne 299 1 0 3 98.9

7. Aric Almirola 293 0 0 11 81.6

8. Paul Menard 290 0 0 10 78.9

9. Kyle Busch 285 2 2 7 100.1

10. Greg Biffle 280 0 0 8 80.9

11. Matt Kenseth 279 2 2 13 117.9

12. Kevin Harvick 276 1 0 9 91.4

___________________________________________________________

ADDITIONAL DRIVERS

13. Martin Truex Jr. 269 30. David Blaney 173

14. Jeff Gordon 269 31. Denny Hamlin 155

15. Jamie McMurray 267 32. J.J. Yeley 148

16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 256 33. David Stremme 146

17. Ryan Newman 242 34. David Reutimann 141

18. Joey Logano 237 35. AJ Allmendinger 122

19. Jeff Burton 235 36. Landon Cassill 116

20. Kurt Busch 231 37. Travis Kvapil 106

21. Marcos Ambrose 225 38. Scott Speed 71

22. Tony Stewart 224 39. Michael McDowell 70

23. Mark Martin 207 40. Michael Waltrip 63

24. Casey Mears 203 41. Terry Labonte 52

25. Juan Pablo Montoya 202 42. Timmy Hill 34

26. David Ragan 192 43. Ken Schrader 29

27. Danica Patrick 180 44. Scott Riggs 6

28. Bobby Labonte 177 45. Brian Keselowski 4

29. David Gilliland 173

Note: The first 26 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season determine which 12 drivers qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, contested over the final 10 races of the season. After race No. 26, the top 10 earn a berth in the Chase. Spots 11 and 12 – the Wild Cards – will go to those drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, provided they are in the top 20.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2013 Top 12 at Darlington Raceway

Driver

Races

Poles

Wins

Top Fives

Top 10s

DNFs

Average Finish

Driver Rating

1

Jimmie Johnson

14

0

3

7

10

1

9.1

105.7

2

Carl Edwards

9

0

0

3

6

1

13.1

93.9

3

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

18

0

0

3

7

1

15.3

90.4

4

Clint Bowyer

7

1

0

0

1

2

22.6

75.4

5

Brad Keselowski

4

0

0

1

2

0

9.3

84.5

6

Kasey Kahne

10

4

0

3

4

0

13.9

98.3

7

Aric Almirola

1

0

0

0

0

0

19.0

67.3

8

Paul Menard

6

0

0

0

0

0

24.5

57.3

9

Kyle Busch

8

0

1

2

4

0

15.5

102.3

10

Greg Biffle

12

2

2

2

5

1

14.0

110.5

11

Matt Kenseth

19

1

0

1

8

1

17.5

86.5

12

Kevin Harvick

16

0

0

2

5

1

18.8

84.4

* – Based on last eight races at Darlington Raceway.

At Darlington Raceway:

History

Darlington Raceway was built as a 1.25-mile paved superspeedway in 1949-1950.

Darlington Raceway hosted the first 500-mile race in NASCAR history and the first on asphalt on Sept. 4, 1950 – won by Johnny Mantz.

The track was re-measured to 1.375 miles in 1953.

The track was re-configured to 1.366 miles following the spring race in 1970.

The track was repaved in 1995.

The 2005 race was the first Saturday night race at Darlington.

The track was repaved again prior to the 2008 season.

Notebook

There have been 109 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Darlington Raceway. The 1.366-mile track has hosted the fourth most NASCAR Sprint Cup points paying races.

700 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Darlington Raceway; 423 in more than one.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Darlington with 65. Terry Labonte leads all active drivers with 54 starts; followed by Mark Martin with 46.

Curtis Turner won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Darlington in 1950 with a speed of 82.034 mph.

47 drivers have Coors Light poles at Darlington, led by David Pearson with 12. Kasey Kahne leads all active drivers with four.

Nine drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Darlington. David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Darlington with five (1975 -1977).

Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at Darlington in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 14.

11 different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Darlington; led by Chevrolet with 40 victories; followed by Ford with 28.

19 of the 109 (17.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Darlington have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Dale Jarrett in 1997.

The pole starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (19) than any other starting position at Darlington. The outside front row (second-place) has produced the second most wins (17).

36 of the 109 (33.0%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Darlington have been won from the front row: 19 from the pole and 17 from second-place.

94 of the 109 (86.2%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Darlington have been won from a top-10 starting position.

Six of the 109 (5.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Darlington have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Darlington was 43rd by Johnny Mantz in 1950 – the inaugural NSCS event. The furthest back an active winner has started was 23rd by Regan Smith (2011).

Buddy Baker and Richard Petty are tied for theseries most runner-up finishes at Darlington with eight each. Mark Martin leads all active drivers in second-place finishes at Darlington with six; followed by Jeff Gordon with four.

Richard Petty leads the series in top-five finishes at Darlington with 25. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 18.

Bill Elliott leads the series in top-10 finishes at Darlington with 35. Mark Martin leads all active drivers with 26.

Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Darlington with a 6.719.

Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Darlington with a 5.857.

Three active NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers have an average finish in the top 10 at Darlington: Denny Hamlin (5.8), Jimmie Johnson (9.1) and Brad Keselowski (9.2).

13 drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have posted consecutive wins at Darlington; Dale Earnhardt (1989-1990)and Jeff Gordon (1995-1996)are tied for theseries lead in consecutive wins at Darlington with three each.

All 10 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Darlington Raceway participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Among active drivers, Kyle Busch won at Darlington in the fewest previous appearances (three).

Mark Martin competed at Darlington Raceway 15 times before winning in 2009; the longest span of any of the 10 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.

Among the 10 active NSCS Darlington winners Mark Martin (15), Bobby Labonte (14) and Jeff Burton (10) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win.

Ken Schrader leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Darlington without visiting Victory Lane at 44.

Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Darlington Raceway was the (3/16/2003) race won by Ricky Craven with a MOV of 0.002 second – the MOV is tied with the 2011 Talladega race as the closest finishes in the NSCS using electronic scoring.

There have been three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Darlington Raceway: 2005 (367/370), 2011 (367/370) and 2012 (367/368).

Eight of the 109 races at Darlington Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was the fall race of 2000.

Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Darlington Raceway five times; most recently was the fall race of 2004.